BY SARAH HOLLOWAY – STAFF WRITER
Fall is upon us here in Kentucky, and the staple activities of the season are in full swing. From corn mazes to hot cocoa, hayrides to haunted houses, there’s an autumn festivity for everyone to enjoy. A great addition to this year’s local fall fun is the Danville Community Arts Center’s (CAC) Raintree International Film Festival, an annual celebration of the art of storytelling through cinema.
Named for the 1950s movie Raintree County, a Civil War film partially shot in Danville, the Festival is set to take place the weekend of October 2324 in various locations across the city: Cue, Chocolates ‘N More, West T. Hill Community Theatre, Boyle County Public Library, and Centre’s own Vahlkamp Theatre.
“We really wanted to involve the community more, which is why we switched from the one night showing of one movie, as we’ve done in the past, to this two-day festival where more people can participate and there are more options that suit the range of audiences in Danville,” Josh Boelter, the CAC’s marketing director, said.
The movies being shown in the festival were selected out 117 submissions of all genres from 29 countries, with the only criteria being that they capture and move the audience in some way.
The lineup features mostly independent films, as well as short animations, thrillers, and some works from Kentucky and Danville filmmakers.
“Raintree is an awesome way to escape the Centre bubble for a little bit and do something pretty unique,” CAC Marketing Intern and senior Maggie Heine said. “It’s not often that you get to watch Appalachian horror shorts, Iranian dramas, Louisvillian documentaries, Swedish dark comedies, and tons of other types of films over the course of one weekend. There’s really something for every interest.”
While the official schedule is still being finalized, one of the two films being shown in Vahlkamp is Jurassic Park on Saturday night. Admission is free for Centre students with student ID, and participating is a great opportunity to be part of the Danville community outside of Centre.The schedule, as well as the opportunity to purchase tickets for non-Centre venues, can be found online at www.communityartscenter.net/raintree.
“Since this is just Raintree’s first year, community participation is incredibly important, and coming out to support a showing or two would be a great way to show that Centre cares about expanding Danville’s arts scene,” Heine said.
This new festival is an exciting prospect for the cultural growth of Danville as well as a fun way to get involved with the community and enjoy films many otherwise probably wouldn’t have heard of. Do yourself—and Danville—a favor and make attending Raintree a fall tradition.